Hybrid

When a drug problem is getting out of hand and a long written prophecy is being brought up because of the appearance of a human boy, what has one one-winged, orphaned hybrid outcast got to do with anything?

12. Chapter XI

Lucifer slapped his hand over his face, muttering under his breath. I had to resist the same urge and could only force Matt to keep moving no matter how bewildered he was.

He's 'seeing'. He can see everyone's real form. Even Daphne and Cedric who should look human to him and not the floating, shadowy figures they actually are.

He turned his head to look at me and I could already see him forming my name on his lips. I shoved him a little harder than necessary and said as loud as I could without anyone overhearing, "Don't say my name. It'll only cause more problems, boy."

He nodded almost unnoticeably and kept moving until we stopped by Lucifer's left.

I turned Matt to face the rest of the Council and could feel him shaking out of fear and excitement under my hand. I gave him a comforting squeeze on his shoulder in an attempt to relax him but kept my face impassive and faced forward.

"Lucifer, I demand to know who this boy is!" Edgar exclaimed standing out of his seat.

Instinctively, I moved to separate the two and adjusted my stance in case Edgar decided to resort to his fangs. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Lucifer placed a hand on my shoulder to silently tell me to back down and I did so after a steely glare in Edgar's direction.

"No need to get your fangs in a twist, Eggy." Lucifer pulled the still stunned Matt to his side and introduced calmly with a wave of his hands, "Council members, meet Matt. Matt, the Council members."

I got some sort of astonished stare from every Council member save for Lucifer who was just amused. Now, more than ever, was I thankful for being so paranoid.

I glared at Matt. Ever since he came along, I've slipped one too many times. It is somehow his fault. I know it.

"He can speak..." I heard someone murmur, I believe it was Gordon.

"Who cares if the Grim Reaper can speak? Why is there a human here who's able to see us?" Daphne exclaimed. Her human form faded to reveal a glimpse of her shimmery, ghostly shadow that was a pale grey-green.

"Lucifer, explain yourself," Liseira demanded, calmly. Her age old eyes not too ancient to give a withering stare.

Lucifer sat down and sighed, "The story is much too long and barely makes any sense. It would be easier to bring the Prophecy out and then you will understand why I decided to keep him a secret for the time being."

"Prophecy?" Matt repeated. "The one you told me and N-er, the one you were talkin' 'bout before?"

Matt was ignored and I gave him a light kick as a warning to shut up for just a moment at least. The Council traded looks with one another until it was obvious they came to a mental agreement.

Sylvia nodded, "Okay. Bring the Prophecy out, Lucifer."

Lucifer closed his eyes to concentrate and I could feel a pressure exerting itself on me in the room. I could see that I wasn't the only one affected, though some had it worse. I ended up having to support my weight on Lucifer's armrest and Matt did the same though he used the table but was still almost on his knees.

After a few more minutes of intensified gravity, it dispelled and a sheet of paper appeared on the table right in front of Matt. All that for a piece of paper a little smaller than A4 sized.

The paper looked new, but was obviously ancient. It was parchment paper but not a single stain covered the pale, ochre sheet that was free from abuse. The paper was mostly blank save for a few lines of text in a language I couldn't read that only began closer to the bottom of the sheet. It was a language of symbols that I had seen before in some of the older books in Lucifer's library. The Ancient Language.

Edgar frowned as he saw the paper, "I'm sure there were more symbols the last time we had seen it."

Lucifer examined the text, not looking up as he stated, "There was. As each line of the Prophecy comes true it disappears after a length of time. After we caught Draheim, the lines that had warned us of him and mentioned the possible threat to humans had disappeared. The first is already beginning to fade. I fear that the rest of the Prophecy is beginning."

We waited with baited breaths as Lucifer cleared his throat to recite the text, as he was the only one who could translate the Ancient Language.

His tone became grave and low, the words of magic and history leaking small traces of raw power even though translated into English.

"When a mortal of pure, untainted blood is found

Together with a partner shall he be bound.

One whose eyes are free from cloth and grime,

The other with an inner fire slowly burning over time.

He sees only truth, not lies or shades of deceit,

She lives in the shadows, flames snuffed out until they meet.

Blood and death shall lead their path

To one consumed by black wrath.

And when wings of fire and darkness take to the sky,

What has been held together for millennia will either fall or intensify."

No one released a single drop of sound. Only let the words sink in until the air and our bodies had absorbed the traces of magic from the words.

Lucifer let out a deep breath, as if merely saying the words was taxing him, which it must have. The Ancient Language is pure magic, even though it loses a considerable amount of energy when translated, it still contains unbelievable amounts of raw power.

If a weaker person tries, they end up burning up, much like those without permission to enter Lucifer's private chambers. Lucifer, the 'true' angels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael (the one in the Council is only named after him) and the Elemental Demons are the only ones I know of that can read the Ancient Language without combusting into oblivion.

Finally, Gordon broke the silence, "What does this prophecy have to do with the boy?"

I resisted the urge to whack his head against a wall, repeatedly.

Lucifer's brow wrinkled slightly in annoyance as he answered, "The boy is a hundred percent human yet he can see the true form of others. He can see Daphne and Cedric as they truly are even though they are solidified into a human form."

To add insult to injury, Lucifer sardonically added, "I wonder what he has to do with the mortal mentioned in the Prophecy who has clear sight and why I said that if I read the Prophecy it would make sense as to who he most likely is."

"The boy has a name..." Matt muttered quietly. Even under the circumstances I hid a smile at his...I don't even know what it is. He can be so calm and naïve but then he can be a complete nervous wreck in just a few seconds. Were all humans like this?

Gordon turned red and huffed, unable to come up with a dignified retort.

Kolvar, a wood elf as the male representative of the Fay, hummed in thought, "Together with a partner shall he be bound. The partner is female and from the lines is most likely a supernatural with fire magic. But..."

Liseira continued, "Fire slowly burning over time. The partner must have innate fire. The only being that I know of that would apply to that would be—"

"The Phoenix," Lucifer finished grimly.

"But the Phoenix is just myth, isn't she?" Katrina asked, her eyes showed uncertainty as she looked to Jeffrey.

"You're forgetting, Kat. We're just myths as well, but we certainly exist," Jeffrey replied kindly. His eyes strayed to Matt as he mentioned 'myths' and I checked to see if Matt was doing something Matt-like again from my peripheral vision.

He was staring, completely fascinated at each and every member, but the Fay and spirits held most of his attention. I guess he got bored of feathery wings from seeing a few dark angels in Hell and my single one.

Raphael got hold of everyone's attention and sternly said, "It doesn't matter right now who the partner is. Our priority should be to manage what we already know or suspect. We should first determine whether Darius Bertham is indeed related to the Lunaria problem and locate Ronald Fenry before trying to decipher a prophecy we couldn't figure out the first time we got it."

"We can't just let the human go free. He could bring about destruction. I vote we kill him," Sylvia stated.

Matt visibly paled and I could feel his panic coming off in erratic waves. I wanted to reassure him somehow, but I was Slayer at the moment. A silent assassin whose only purpose was to obey his Master.

Thankfully, Lucifer opposed Sylvia for me, "Killing Matt will do no good. It is impossible, not to mention completely pointless, to try and control or prevent a prophecy. You should know that, Sylvia. When someone tries to change a prophecy, they usually end up helping it come true. The boy is my responsibility and I will not allow anyone to kill him."

"How come you get the prophecy boy?" Edgar questioned, eyeing Matt hungrily. Edgar's eyes had dilated slightly and I could see his fangs had marginally extended. Not noticeably but you only had to see the thirst in his eyes to know that he hadn't fed yet. Edgar was a very picky bloodsucker so I guess he was either really thirsty, or Matt had appetizing blood. I'd guess the latter since he is a prophecy boy. Their blood must be a rare delicacy, tinged with the flavor of fate, destiny and a dash of doom.

Lucifer noticed Edgar's thirst as well and scoffed while listing on his fingers, "One, you or one of your subordinates would drink him dry no matter how much self control you claim to have, I can already see the way you are eyeing him. Two, Slayer is the one who found him. And three, he has eaten in Hell and therefore my property."

Edgar was about to retort, not wanting Lucifer to embarrass him yet again. He opened his mouth with an angry frown but Lucifer beat him to it, "And I kept the boy a secret so that you all would not begin panicking and going head first into killing him. Much like you are now."

I could see that Sylvia and Edgar were going to argue but Kolvar stood, though it didn't make much different with his tiny height, "I believe Lucifer is correct. Prophecies are trickier than the Fay and it would be best not to attempt to disturb it. We should focus on our current long-standing problem and do as Raphael suggested."

Kolvar eyed each Council member, "I vote we focus on Darius Bertham and finding Ronald Fenry first. All in favour?"

I held my breath and waited to see the results.

Lucifer raised his hand in agreement followed by Raphael, Jeffrey, Katrina, Sheila, Cedric and Liseira. 8 out of 13, the majority won. Thank Satan.

Lucifer grinned victoriously, "Seems we will be going through with our original plan."

"What about the boy? He cannot roam freely if he is to bring the destruction of the world," Sylvia insisted on continuing to argue.

Seeing as they knew I could speak and I was fed up with the seesawing arguments, I turned to Lucifer and bowed, "If I may speak, Master."

Lucifer nodded, his left eyebrow quirked and I continued to speak tonelessly to Sylvia, "There is no mentioning of the boy destroying the world. It simply says, 'what has been held together for millennia will either fall or intensify'. That can be interpreted in many ways, half of which can be positive. So far, the Prophecy is only partially completed. The boy's partner has not appeared yet, and if she has, she and him would be together, but he is alone. I found only him; there was no girl who had, as Queen Liseira said, innate fire magic. So, Lady Sylvia, please cease this pointless arguing so we can begin working on investigating Darius Bertham and Ronald Fenry who may be the key to ending the rampage of Lunaria."

I betrayed no emotion even though I was dying to grin maniacally at the more than stunned expressions of the Council members. Matt, as expected, had absolutely no idea what had happened except that he had been saved from an early grave at the hands of the first witch he ever met.